Too Many TV Choices?
“Choice Paralysis” is a well-established concept that describes consumers’ confusion and hesitancy in making choices when there are too many options. Is this an issue for viewers of streaming services?
SVOD
While You Were Away…
The end of August and Labor Day weekend are vacation periods for many in our industries. Here are news items you may have missed while you were away. Read more »
How Technology Impacts Media Use
We sometimes overlook the profound impact of technology on media use. New data show how smart TV technology continues to impact how consumers access content. Read more »
Capitalizing on the CTV Opportunity
The CTV landscape is experiencing a plethora of new streaming entries, leaving consumers overwhelmed. This includes options that provide a tidal wave of content, some of it at lower cost. Publicis and Verizon partnered to explore how consumers’ expectations of services, content, and ad exposure will evolve.
Is Hollywood Losing its Influence Over Global Audiences?
Foreign language programming is increasing, especially for TV; however, English-language content still dominates for movies, explained Digital I’s Matt Ross.
Global trends in Netflix viewing have demonstrated the increasing acceptance of non-English language content. Only two of the top 10 global Netflix longest-running hit shows are English language TV content. Half of the most-viewed content to ever launch on Netflix was from non-English language dramas.
2022 Media Insights and 2023 Challenges
An ARF event presented by the LA Media Research Council focused on insights from 2022 research and on 2023 priorities to meet business challenges. Issues addressed in research presentations and by an expert panel included the evolution of streaming during an economic downturn, how to manage subscriber churn, understanding Gen Z and the continued need for better measurement across the ecosystem.
The Future Shape of the Media Landscape: Predictions for Today and Beyond (Panel)
In this session, Edwin Wong of Vox Media moderated an expert panel who made predictions on what the media experience will be like in 2023 and beyond for the consumer. When asked whether SVOD was going away, Brian Further of Nielsen reminded of what people said about cable, that people would not pay for it and at its height some were paying over $200 per month. Jon Giegengack of Hub Entertainment Research said spending continues to go up on SVOD. But bundling may be a way to have people keep subscriptions longer, since the payment is simplified, and they are less likely to cancel than when they pay for SVODs individually.
CTV: The Big Shift
Tony Marlow at LG Ad Solutions unveiled findings from The Big Shift Study, an online survey conducted in September 2022 of 733 adults from the general U.S. population. CTV in the living room is near saturation, with 93% having access to a CTV there. One-third of streaming content discovery also takes place there. But not all streaming remains ubiquitous. In the last twelve months, one-third of respondents removed a subscription from their CTV service and a quarter have added an AVOD or FAST service. The study found a similar trend taking place over the next twelve months. Fears of economic inflation and a looming recession are pushing people to opt for free, ad-supported streaming services.
Attention and Engagement Data Provide Insight into Subscriber Behavior Trends
Yan Liu of TVision highlighted a fresh study to be published in a month or so, illustrating the relationship between attention and churn on SVOD and AVOD platforms. TVision partnered with Antenna who track audience trends and their impact on subscription rates, for the study. Cross-referencing Antenna’s 2021 churn data with TVision’s aggregated platform data (from Apple TV, Discovery+, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix Paramount and Peacock), they found an inverse correlation between the top 50 shows and the churn rate. As attention increases, churn decreases and vice-versa. The popularity of any one platform varies month-by-month, depending on what popular content has been released where. When a popular original debuts, viewers gravitate toward it. But low attention viewers drop off once they’ve finished the series. Churn is the norm and unfortunately not an easy issue to solve in the near-term. However, co-viewing and live CTV content like Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football lessen churn.
Viewing Options for Sports Fans: Where Are They Watching and Why? (Panel)
Heidi Chung of Variety Intelligence Platform interviewed Barry Blyn of Walt Disney and Matthew Gottlieb of NBCUniversal about the biggest trends in sports streaming. Barry said sports are thriving, especially since the pandemic ended. Fans, however, are changing. Who fans are, how they fan and what they fan has changed. More women are watching sports and women’s sports are also appealing to both men and women, including the WNBA final and the NCAA women’s tournament. What people fan has also changed. A decade ago, no one heard of things like Drive to Survive or 30 for 30 Films. Now, there’s an explosion of original sport’s content.